truth

Short But Sweet 

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Psalm 117
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles!
Laud Him, all you peoples!
For His merciful kindness is great toward us,
And the truth of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!”

It is not always the longest, or even the most creative works, that become the most well known. I am not a poet, and cannot speak to the artistic side of things, but I doubt whether any poem is as well known as “Roses are red and violets are blue…” Sometimes, the simplicity of things is exactly what is most needed. In a songbook filled with some of the most elaborate and beautiful expressions of praise, we find a simple song, consisting of only two short verses. It is the brevity of this song that magnifies its content. We find the Psalmist emphasizing two things that make God worthy of the praise of all the nations. He states, God is kind, and His word is true.

Perhaps, rather than going into great detail to explain these things, it might do us good to simply put  the teaching of this psalm into practice. Take some time to express thanks to God for His merciful kindness. If you need to confess things you are doing wrong, then go for it, and allow Him to wash away all your sin. Then decide that you are going to forever view His Word as the truth, and live by its statutes.

Pastor Jim

 

Follow Your Heart

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Psalms 25:4-5
“Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.”

As I child, I remember watching a movie where a group of people were trying to escape a town. Whatever direction they took, or road they chose, they always arrived at the same destination. They continued trying until they found the one way out. According to Jesus, life is like that. He stated that life really only consists of two roads. One is wide and crowded, but leads away from God. The other is narrow and difficult, and sadly, often ignored, but results in eternal life (Matthew 7:13-14).

David knew a lot about walking on the right road, but he also knew what it was to wander down the wrong path in life. After fleeing from Saul, living in the wilderness, sleeping in caves, surrounded by criminals and constantly fearing for his life, David grew tired. In the midst of his trials, and the difficulty they created, He began to doubt the promises of God.

“And David said in his heart, ‘Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand.’ Then David arose and went over with the six hundred men who were with him to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.” 1 Samuel 27:1-2

David had the promises of God telling him he would survive the threats of Saul and become king. He also had the difficulties of life casting a shadow of doubt on the promises. This led him to listen to and follow his heart; and his heart led him out of the will of God. After failing so greatly, it is easy to understand why the cry of his heart was, “Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths and lead me in Your truth” (Psalm 25:4).

One of the most common causes of failure in the life of the child of God, is following our hearts. After all, Jeremiah taught us the heart is deceptive above all things (Jeremiah 17:9). We must not let out hearts guide us. Instead, we must let the Word of God act as a lamp guiding the way of life and living. Instead of following what our heart says, let’s determine to become familiar with what God says, and live in line with His Promises. His ways are not our ways because they are so much better.

Pastor Jim

 

What Is Your Heart Saying? 

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1 Samuel 27:1
“And David said in his heart, ‘Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand.’”


It seems that David had reached his breaking point. After years of hiding in caves, and narrowly escaping the hand of Saul, David decides to leave Israel, and dwell among the Philistines. This decision would lead him to live a double life. He still has a heart for the things of God, but is living a lie. As the story continues to unfold, David even reached a point where he attempted to join the Philistines in battle against the people of God. This was no doubt one of the darkest times in the life of David. The root cause is revealed in verse one,

1 Samuel 27:1“And David said in his heart…”

Like all of us, David’s head was filled with a barrage of different messages. In one ear, he heard the voice of God promising him he would one day sit upon the throne in Israel, in the other, his heart spoke. Fear, discomfort, difficulty, and exhaustion, had brought David to the point where his heart began to tell him Saul would defeat him, and the only hope was to run. In a moment of weakness, David listened to his heart and walked out of the plan of God.

This is not an uncommon experience. We all face circumstances that cause us to call into question the promises of God. We, like David, are forced to make a choice. Will we listen to the promises of God or the cries of the heart? This has become so common that we are often encouraged to “Follow our heart” or “Do what our hearts tells us.” That was bad advice when David followed it three thousand years ago, and it remains bad advice today. Instead of listening to our hearts, which is little more than an expression of our ever changing emotions, we should listen to the the unchanging promises found in the pages of God’s Word.

Consider this: who was correct, David’s heart or God’s promises? Did David die by the hand of Saul, or was he crowned Israel’s greatest king? We can, and should, always trust in the promises of God, over the ever changing and unstable cries of our hearts.

Pastor Jim

 

Leadership

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1 Samuel 26:6

“Then David answered, and said… 

‘Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?’

And Abishai said, ‘I will go down with you.’”

 

This passage gives some very interesting insight into leadership. David searched for men of faith who would be willing to take risks for the kingdom. Abishai rose to the challenge and joined David on a dangerous mission to infiltrate the camp of the king. Under the cover of darkness, they made their way past the guards, and all the way to  Saul. It was at this point that Abishai suggest they take the opportunity to kill the king, and bring an end to the difficulties he has caused. The exchange between David and Abishai is priceless in the lessons it illustrates. 

 

1 Samuel 26:8

“Then Abishai said to David, ‘God has delivered your enemy into your hand this day. Now therefore, please, let me strike him at once with the spear, right to the earth; and I will not have to strike him a second time!'”

 

1 Samuel 26:9

“But David said to Abishai, ‘Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?'”

 

1 Samuel 26:10

“David said furthermore, ‘As the Lord lives, the Lord shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed.'”

 

Notice, that while Abishai was a man of great, even heroic faith, he was still capable of losing sight of God’s calling. He saw this as an opportunity to kill he king, while David saw it as a time to show all of Israel how much he truly trusted in the sovereign hand of God. 

 

Leadership often involves helping those who walk alongside us, to keep focussed on the big picture. While it is important to be surrounded by those who are fearless for the furtherance of the Gospel, we also need people who are willing to stay true to the proper methods. 

 

This may be particularly applicable today. I recently heard an apologist say, “In the past, people were mostly concerned whether or not something was true, but today they seem to be more concerned whether something will work.” As the church moves forward to reach the world and make disciples, we must remain true to the ways of Christ as much as to the message of Christ. 

 

Pastor Jim 

  

The Sword 

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1 Samuel 21:9

“So the priest said, ‘The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, there it is, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it. For there is no other except that one here.’And David said, ‘There is none like it; give it to me.’”


Saul’s rage forced David to flee for his life. He left home and family in such a hurry that he took almost nothing with him. When he arrived in Nob, he immediately searched for both food and weapons. Since he arrived at the home of the priest, and not a military compound, weapons were hard to come by.  The only available sword was the one David had taken from Goliath, and it probably sat in a display case. 


I find it interesting, this is not the first time David had handled someone else’s sword. On the day he went to battle against Goliath, Saul tried to suit David in his armor. Because of David’s size, the armor was much too big for him, and he went to battle with a sling and some stones. Now after years of growth and training David, is fit to handle the sword of a giant. 


While this passage is certainly not about the importance of the word of God, I think we can see an important spiritual principle tucked away in the text; the more we grow, the more apt we will be to handle the sword. The writer of Hebrews exhorts us, 


Hebrews 5:14

“But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”


The more familiar we become with the scriptures, the more useful they will become in our everyday lives. As you read your bible, you will find its truths apply to the situations you face daily. A promise tucked away in the psalms, may become the guiding light you need to deal with a difficult family situation. A truth from the Gospel, will give you insight into how to help counsel a friend. We need to become more familiar with the Word, so we are more prepared for the battles. 


Pastor Jim 

A Place To Stand

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Joshua 21:45
“Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.”

A lot of my childhood was spent on the ocean. From as far back as I can remember, my dad had a boat and we would spend the summers taking vacations to Catalina Island. It was a great way to grow up. We would spend day after day on the boat, fishing, swimming, diving and exploring. When the vacation finally came to an end and we made the 27 mile journey back to the mainland, I experienced an interesting sensation. After so much time rocking back and forth on the boat, the ground seemed especially solid.

Life can seem like a journey at sea. We seem to get hit by unexpected waves, and the ground we are standing on is moving. If we are going to get through turbulent times, we need to have some solid ground to stand on.

After a lifetime of following the Lord through some very turbulent waters, Joshua confidently exclaimed that not a single promise of God had ever failed him. No matter what the obstacle, Joshua had learned by experience,  the promises of God are like a solid rock upon which he could stand.

I have found, for every experience of life, there is a promise to cling to. When facing the challenges of life, it is vital that the child of God look into the Word, find the appropriate promises, and then hide in them, like a bunker from the storms of life.

Some of the promises which have been particularly encouraging to me include:

2 Timothy 1:7
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Philippians 4:7
“. . . and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Hebrews 13:5
“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”

Isaiah 54:17
“‘No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me’, says the Lord.”

Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

2 Corinthians 3:5-6
“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

In response to this blog a good friend sent me the following note.

“When I was diagnosed with an illness, a close friend gave me a list of “promise” verses. Honestly, at the time, I read through them and tucked them away, but that was about it. In the last 3 years, I can’t tell you how many times I pulled out that list and allowed the Word of God to comfort, strengthen and encourage me.

To your list I would add Isaiah 41:10, Psalm 61:1-4, Psalm 55:22 and so many more.”

Praying His Word will be like a safe harbor, and like solid ground, in the midst of the storms of life.

Pastor Jim


In The Beginning

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Genesis 1:1
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

in-the-beginning-title-slide-message-series-950x712-1.jpgThe first verse of the Bible introduces us to its main character: God. This verse is not a philosophical statement, but an axiom upon which all other statements will be based. As we venture through the Bible together, we will read of the great exploits of God. We will hear of Him speaking to men, parting seas, knocking down walls, vanquishing enemies, stopping time, raising the dead, and providing salvation for mankind. If this first statement is true, if God spoke, and the worlds were formed, then we should have no problem believing there is nothing He cannot do. If we accept this first sentence of Scripture, we will have no problem accepting all the miracles that follow. We will have no problem accepting that there is nothing too hard for God, and we will live with an expectation of Him accomplishing great things in the lives of all who live surrendered to Him.

J.S. Baxter, in his commentary on Genesis, points out that this one statement is also a “basal pronouncement that undoes all false religious philosophies.”

“In the beginning God…” – denies atheism with its doctrine of NO god.

“In the beginning God…” – denies polytheism with its doctrine of MANY gods.

“In the beginning God created…” – denies fatalism with its doctrine of CHANCE.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…” – denies pantheism with its doctrine of making the earth god.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…” – denies materialism, which asserts the eternity of matter.

This first testimony of Scripture is not only a declaration of divine truth, but is also a repudiation of human error. As we read though the Bible together, we will be further introduced to the God of creation. We will see that He is also the God of salvation, who desires an intimate and personal relationship with all of us. It is my prayer that you will take Him up on His offer of eternal life, and walk closely with Him today.

Pastor Jim

On The Edge

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Proverbs 5:14 “I was on the verge of total ruin, in the midst of the assembly and congregation.”

“The assembly of the congregation”, or in our case, the church, was designed by God as a means to help the individual believer grow in Christ. The Word of God, corporate worship, and fellowship, were all designed by God to help each of us grow in Christ. When we come to church with a soft heart, eager to hear from God, His Word has a way of speaking directly into the things we are facing; equipping us in advance against trials and temptation. When we enter worship, with a desire to give back to God for all He has given to us, we find we draw near to Him, and surrender more of ourselves to Him. When we develop honest fellowship with other believers, we are willing to ask for prayer and counsel. When we remain open to share our struggles, we find that iron sharpens iron, and we are able to overcome sin and temptation.

That being said, it is dangerous when we enter the assembly of the congregation, put on a mask, and begin to play the Christian game. By wearing a smile and speaking our best Christianese, we convince others that all is well, when in reality we have begun to wander from the Lord. Instead of allowing the Word to do its work in our lives, by convicting, instructing, and changing, or taking advantage of the fellowship of the saints, we use our church time to pretend all is well.

Solomon warns of the danger of living like that. He declares, it is possible to be on the verge of total ruin, while standing in the midst of the assembly. Backsliding begins long before we stop gong to church. It starts when we begin to pretend all is well; when truly we have begun to drift. Instead of putting on your best mask, come to the fellowship with a hunger for the Word, a desire to worship, and an eagernes to glean all you can from other believers.

Pastor Jim

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